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Discover How the James Webb Telescope Is Unraveling the Formation of Planets in PDS 70, with New Observations About the Growing Planets PDS 70b and PDS 70c
The study of planet formation is one of the great frontiers of modern astronomy. Understanding how planets are born and develop is crucial to deciphering the mysteries of the universe.
Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) made new discoveries that helped advance this field of research by observing the planetary system PDS 70, a young star with two planets still in formation.
These observations reveal not only more about the process of planetary formation but also suggest the presence of a possible third planet, opening new questions for astronomers.
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With 192 beams focused on a target smaller than an eraser, the world’s largest energy laser fires more than 2 million joules in billionths of a second, generates 500 trillion watts, and recreates in the laboratory the extreme conditions of the interior of stars.
The PDS 70 System
The star PDS 70 is located about 370 light-years from Earth and is an orange dwarf star, only 5.4 million years old. This young star hosts two planets in formation, known as PDS 70b and PDS 70c.
They are particularly interesting to scientists because they represent a primitive stage of planetary development, where the material around the star is still accumulating and forming new celestial bodies.
In 2018, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory captured the first direct images of these planets using the SPHERE instrument.
At that time, PDS 70b was recorded as the first protoplanet to be photographed directly, an important discovery.
From these observations, astronomers have been able to study in more detail the atmospheres, masses, and temperatures of these young planets.
New Discoveries with the James Webb
Now, with the help of the JWST, scientists can advance even further in understanding PDS 70 and its planets.
Utilizing an innovative feature of its near-infrared imaging generator, NIRISS, the JWST applied a technique called aperture masking interferometry (AMI), which significantly increases the resolution of the images.
This method allows the telescope to function as an interferometer, using a special mask on the primary mirror to create images with more detail, as if it were a much larger telescope.
The observations made by the JWST in 2023 revealed new crucial information. The study, published in
The Astronomical Journal, found suggestions of material around the planets PDS 70b and PDS 70c.
This indicates that these planets are still accumulating material from their circumplanetary disks, which are rings of gas and dust around the planets in formation.
This type of material is essential for a planet’s growth, and its presence indicates that the planets are still in a formation stage.
Higher Resolution Images and Implications for Planetary Formation Models
By observing PDS 70b and PDS 70c at longer wavelengths than previous observations, the JWST detected more light than the low-mass star and brown dwarf models were able to explain.
This new type of light suggests the presence of hot material around the planets, which is consistent with the accretion process — when the planet is accumulating material from its gas and dust disk.
In an interview, Dori Blakely, a graduate student at the University of Victoria who led the research, commented: “It’s like seeing a family photo of our Solar System when it was just a child. It’s amazing to think about how much we can learn from such a system.”
Possibility of a Third Planet
In addition to deepening the knowledge about PDS 70b and PDS 70c, new research has also provided additional evidence of the possible existence of a third planet, designated PDS 70d.
In 2024, another study suggested the presence of a celestial body in that region, but the evidence was still uncertain.
The new study does not confirm the existence of the planet but limits the properties of the object, indicating that, if it exists, it would be very different from the other two already observed planets.
The research also indicated that this possible third planet would have a peculiar composition compared to PDS 70b and PDS 70c.
Confirming or refuting the existence of PDS 70d will be one of the next big questions for astronomers, and more observations will be necessary to better understand this mysterious object.
If confirmed, it will help further expand our knowledge of the diversity of forming planetary systems.
With information from Sciencealert.
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